⚡ Purpose
The W-2 Review Report gives you a preview of your employees' W-2s before PUSH files them. It brings together each employee's details from their Employee Profile, such as their legal name, Social Security Number (SSN), address, etc., with the wages and taxes from the payroll you've processed each year. Everything is laid out in the same boxes used on the W-2 form, so you can review it all in one place.
A W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) is the year-end tax form employees use to file their personal tax returns, so every detail on it needs to be correct. Reviewing this report gives you time to catch and fix issues, like a misspelled legal name, an incorrect SSN, or an outdated address, by updating the employee's profile. This helps ensure your W-2s are filed on time and accurately, without any delay.
📌 | Note: The W-2 Review report shows the information currently in your account. It doesn't flag errors or missing information for you, so review each employee's details carefully.
🔎 Why use the W-2 Review Report?
Here are some common reasons teams run this report:
- Catching errors early: Spot missing employees, incorrect Social Security Numbers, or allocated wages before they appear on an employee's W-2.
- Avoiding corrected forms: Once a W-2 has been filed, an error can only be corrected with a Form W-2c (Corrected Wage and Tax Statement), which takes more time and delays the issuance of the correct form for your employee.
- Confirming your year-end totals: Check that wages and taxes withheld match your payroll records once your last payroll of the year has been processed.
- Making sure every employee receives their W-2: Confirm everyone you paid during the year is listed with a valid Social Security Number and a current mailing address.
🔐 Access Required
The W-2 Report is available to USA accounts with the Payroll Add-On.
Who can access the W-2 Report?
- Super Administrators: Have full access to generate the W-2 Review Report for all employees.
- Team Administrators: Do not have access to the W-2 Review Report.
📋 Topics covered in this article:
- Generating the W-2 Review Report
- Understanding the W-2 Review Report Details
- Reviewing Your W-2 Information
- Running the W-2 Review Report for Companies That Share an FEIN
- Frequently Asked Questions About the W-2 Review Report
📚 Related articles:
- A Guide to PUSH Reports
- A Guide to the T4 Summary Report
- A Guide to the Employee Information Report
- A Guide to the Enterprise Employee Information Report
Generating the W-2 Review Report
You can run the W-2 Review Report for any payroll year, at any time. We recommend running it throughout the year, such as once a month or once a quarter. Reviewing as you go lets you fix small issues, like a misspelled name on a new hire's profile or an employee's new address, while they're still fresh. If you wait until the end of the year, corrections tend to pile up, and it's harder to follow up with employees for missing information or remember what happened months ago.
At a minimum, run the report before your last payroll of the year so you have time to make corrections, then again after that payroll is processed to confirm your final totals.
⚠️ | Important: W-2s must be provided to employees and filed with the Social Security Administration (SSA) by January 31. PUSH prepares your W-2s using whatever is in your Employee Profiles and processed payrolls, so make any corrections or adjustments as soon as you find them.
- Click the Reports tab.
- Under Report Type, select W2 Review Report.
- Under Payroll Year, click the drop-down menu and select the year you want to review.
- Once done, click Generate.
- The page will automatically load the report details!
Understanding the W-2 Review Report Details
Once generated, the report shows one row per employee, with a column for each detail that will appear on their W-2.
- In the generated W2 Review Report, you will see the following:
- A Year-to-date notice at the top of the report, reminding you that the figures aren't final until the tax year closes. If you run the report partway through the year, the totals will continue to change as you process payroll.
📌 | Note: For the 2026 tax year, the updated Form W-2 adds new fields for qualified overtime and tips. These fields will be added to the report before W-2s are filed, and a Coming soon notice will appear at the top of the report until then. - Use Print, Export to Excel, or Export to CSV to save or share the results. Because the report has many columns, exporting it can make it easier to review.
- Check or uncheck the box associated with Include Unapproved Payruns to include payruns that haven't been approved yet. This is helpful for previewing how an upcoming payroll will affect your totals, such as your year-end payroll.
- The table below is a breakdown of the report's columns and how to understand the information presented.
Most column names match the boxes on the W-2 form (for example, Box 1 Amt is the amount in Box 1), and the rest use a short prefix:
- R- stands for Recipient, the employee receiving the W-2.
- P- stands for Payer, your company as the employer.
The table below groups the columns by what they show.
| Column Group | What It Shows | What to Check |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Details (columns starting with R-) | The employee's legal name, the last four digits of their Social Security Number (SSN), and their mailing address, as entered on their Employee Profile. | The name matches the employee's Social Security card, the SSN isn't blank, and the address is current, since employees are mailed a copy of their W-2 at this address. |
| Federal Wages & Taxes (Box 1 to Box 6) | The employee's taxable wages for the year, plus the federal income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax withheld from their pay. | Totals match your payroll records. Box 1 may be lower than gross pay because pre-tax deductions, such as some retirement contributions, reduce taxable wages. |
| Tips & Benefits (Box 7 to Box 11) | Reported and allocated tips, dependent care benefits, and certain deferred compensation. | These are often blank. Box 9 isn't currently used on the W-2. |
| Other Amounts & Codes (Box 12 to Box 14) | Other amounts that need to be reported, such as retirement plan contributions, each with an IRS letter code that explains what it is. Also includes checkboxes for things like retirement plan participation, and other information such as state disability or paid family leave contributions in some states. | Each Box 12 amount has a matching code. |
| State & Local Wages & Taxes (Box 15 to Box 20) | The state and locality (such as a city) where the employee's wages were earned, your company's state tax ID number, and the state and local wages and taxes withheld. Columns marked (2) show the same details for a second state or locality. | Wages are listed under the state(s) the employee actually worked in. [CONFIRM how employees with 3+ states appear] |
| Company Details (columns starting with P- or Alt Return) | Your company's name, address, phone number, and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), as they'll appear on every employee's W-2. | Your company details and FEIN are correct. [CONFIRM what the AddressService and Alt Return columns show, and what R-Control No is used for] |
Reviewing Your W-2 Information
The report gives you a single place to check each employee's W-2 details before they're filed. Look for the issues below, since these are the most common reasons a W-2 needs to be corrected.
| Issue | Where to Look | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Missing employees | Someone you paid during the year isn't listed. | They won't receive a W-2 for those wages. |
| Duplicate employees | The same person appears in more than one row. | They could receive more than one W-2. |
| Blank or incorrect SSNs | The R-SSN column is blank, or the last four digits don't match your records. | A W-2 without a valid SSN can't be matched to the employee's tax records. |
| Incorrect legal names | The R-Last Name/Company or R-First Name column is misspelled or doesn't match the employee's Social Security card. | A mismatched name can cause the W-2 to be rejected or need correcting. |
| Outdated addresses | The R-Addr columns show an address the employee no longer lives at. | Their mailed copy may not reach them. |
| Wages in the wrong state | The Box 15(1) State or Box 15(2) State column lists a state the employee didn't work in. | State wages and taxes would be reported incorrectly. |
| Incorrect company details | The P- columns show an old company name, address, or the wrong FEIN. | Your company details appear on every employee's W-2. |
If you find an issue with an employee's details, such as their name, SSN, or address, update their Employee Profile, then run the report again to confirm the change. If the issue is with wages or taxes from a payroll that's already been processed, contact Push Support for help correcting it. [CONFIRM: correction process for processed payroll]
💡 | Tip: If you're not sure how to correct an issue, review it with your accountant or payroll advisor, or contact PUSH Support before W-2s are filed.
Running the W-2 Review Report for Companies That Share an FEIN
An FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) is the number the IRS uses to identify your business. If several companies in your account share the same FEIN, their W-2 information is filed together, so the W2 Review Report is only available in the main FEIN company.
If you try to run the report from another company that shares the FEIN, you'll see a message pointing you to the main FEIN company. Switch to that company to run the report.
Frequently Asked Questions About the W-2 Review Report
Have questions about the W-2 Review Report? Whether you're wondering when to run it, why something looks different after a change, or who can see it, this section provides quick answers to help you review your W-2 information with confidence.
Q: Does running the W-2 Review Report file my W-2s?
A: No. The report is for review only. PUSH prepares and files your W-2s using the information in your account, so running the report doesn't submit or change anything.
Q: When should I run the W-2 Review Report?
A: We recommend running it throughout the year, such as once a month or once a quarter, so you can fix issues as they come up instead of all at once. At a minimum, run it before your last payroll of the year so you have time to make corrections, then again after that payroll is processed to confirm your final totals. For more details, refer to the Generating the W2 Review Report section of this article.
Q: When will my W-2s be available?
A: W-2s are available by January 31 each year. A file of all your W-2s is added to your Company Files, a copy is added to each Employee Profile, and if enabled, employees are also mailed a copy to the address on their profile.
Q: I fixed an issue, but the W-2 Review report still shows the old information. Why?
A: The report shows the information in your account at the moment it's generated. Refresh the page or run the report again to see your updated details.
Q: Will the W-2 Review report tell me what needs to be fixed?
A: No. The report doesn't flag errors or missing information. It consolidates all the information used to create a W-2 Form in one place. For what to look for, refer to the Reviewing the W-2 Information section of this article.
Q: Why are an employee's wages in Box 1 lower than their gross pay?
A: Pre-tax deductions, such as some retirement or benefit contributions, reduce the wages subject to federal income tax. This means Box 1 wages can be lower than an employee's total gross pay for the year.
Q: Why does the W-2 Review report mention new fields for overtime and tips?
A: The updated W-2 Form adds new fields for qualified overtime and tips; this is in compliance with OBBA. See here for more information on: Understanding OBBBA (One Big Beautiful Bill Act).
Q: What if I find an error after W-2s have been filed?
A: The W-2 will need to be corrected with a Form W-2c. For more details, refer to our Requesting an Amendment on an Employee's T4/W-2 article.
Q: Can Team Administrators or employees see the W2 Review Report?
A: Team Administrators do not have access to the W-2 Review Report or W-2 Forms for employees; these are only available to Super Administrators. Employees will be able to access and download their own W-2's in their employee accounts once processed, no later than January 31st of each year.
Q: Is there a report like the W-2 Review report for Canadian accounts?
A: Yes, Canadian accounts can use the T4 Summary Report to review T4 totals before they're filed. For more details, refer to A Guide to the T4 Summary Report article.
Additional Information
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